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To carry your Mass Effect story forward, complete the current game, keep its completed career save, then use the next game’s import-character option. The intended chain is Mass Effect 1 → Mass Effect 2 → Mass Effect 3. The receiving game reads important story decisions—and, on the documented ME2-to-ME3 path, Shepard’s level—rather than opening one universal save file shared by the whole trilogy.
For the least trouble, use Legendary Edition from start to finish and import each completed career inside the game. Electronic Arts describes the collection as the trilogy with more than 40 pieces of single-player downloadable content. Original and Legendary Edition saves are not interchangeable in every direction, and Mass Effect 3 choices cannot be imported into Mass Effect: Andromeda. If an earlier career is missing, the Genesis comics can recreate major decisions, but they do not restore every mission state.
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How does Mass Effect choice transfer actually work?
Mass Effect uses a hand-off system: each sequel scans a completed career from the immediately preceding game and builds a new campaign around the decisions that matter to its story. It is continuity import, not cloud-style synchronization or a single Shepard file that every title edits. Electronic Arts says that your choices travel “seamlessly” from one game to the next, while the BioWare Mass Effect 3 PC manual specifically promises retention of Shepard’s level and decisions that affect that game’s story.
That distinction matters. The sequel does not necessarily inherit every weapon, credit balance, inventory item, skill point, or numerical statistic. What it checks is the earlier world state: who lived, which missions were completed, what alliances were made, how relationships developed, and other flags used to alter later scenes and missions. A choice may be remembered through a line of dialogue, a returning character, a changed mission condition, a different squad option, or a later survival outcome rather than through a visible item in your inventory.
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There is also no single “transfer everything” button that bypasses the normal order. The supported sequence is ME1 to ME2, then ME2 to ME3. Each game imports the immediately previous career. Keeping a backup of that career is useful, but a backup is not itself an import until the receiving game’s character screen recognizes it.
How do I transfer Mass Effect 1 choices to Mass Effect 2?
Finish the first game, preserve the completed career, and import it from Mass Effect 2’s new-game flow. The import is the supported way to bring your ME1 decisions into the sequel.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →- Complete Mass Effect 1. Reach the end of the campaign and make a normal end-of-career save. Do not rely only on an earlier checkpoint or an autosave created during the final mission.
- Close the game normally. Exiting through the menu gives the game a chance to write the career to disk. If you are using cloud synchronization, allow it to finish before opening the sequel.
- Launch Mass Effect 2. In the new-game or character setup screens, choose the option to import a Mass Effect 1 character.
- Select the completed career. Pick the Shepard profile that finished ME1, then confirm it before starting the new campaign. If several profiles are listed, use the name, class and completion information to distinguish them.
- Verify the result. Early dialogue and available background details should reflect your prior world state. Keep the old save until you are satisfied that the correct career loaded.
The import is based on a completed career, not merely on having played several hours. If the list is empty, check that the final career was actually saved and that you are looking in the receiving game’s import screen rather than its fresh-character option.
Can an original 2007 PC Mass Effect 1 save be imported into Legendary Edition Mass Effect 2?
Do not assume it can. Compatibility guidance for the collection does not treat the original PC ME1 save format as a supported direct-import path into Legendary Edition ME2. Renaming a folder, changing an extension, or copying files into a similarly named directory does not convert the save format. A file can look correctly placed and still be unreadable.
If the old career is unavailable in a compatible form, use Genesis in ME2 to reconstruct major backstory choices instead. This gives you a playable continuation, but it is not the same as recovering every side mission, relationship stage, item, and minor flag from the original campaign.
How do I transfer Mass Effect 2 choices to Mass Effect 3?
Use Mass Effect 3’s explicit IMPORT ME2 CHARACTER command. This is the documented hand-off and preserves the previous campaign’s story-impacting decisions; the PC manual also says Shepard’s level is maintained.
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- Finish Mass Effect 2. Complete the campaign and make sure the career has been written as a completed save.
- Exit normally and retain the save. Keep it in place until the ME3 import succeeds. Do not delete the folder simply because the sequel is installed.
- Start Mass Effect 3. At character creation, select
IMPORT ME2 CHARACTER, not a fresh-career option. - Choose the completed ME2 career. If several Shepards appear, match the name, class and completion date you expect.
- Check the opening setup. The imported Shepard should begin with the retained level and a world state shaped by ME2 decisions.
Starting a new ME3 career bypasses this hand-off. You can still play the game, but it will not be using the selected ME2 campaign’s state. If you accidentally begin a fresh career, return to the main menu and start again with the import command rather than expecting the game to merge the two campaigns later.
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What carries over between the trilogy games?
The reliable rule is that the next game imports decisions it checks for story continuity, not an unrestricted copy of every gameplay value.
| Element | What to expect | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Story and world-state decisions | Later scenes, mission conditions, relationships, returning-character outcomes, alliances and broader trilogy consequences can change. | The sequel only reads flags it was designed to check; there is no published promise that every choice has a visible sequel consequence. |
| Shepard’s level | Retained on the documented ME2-to-ME3 import. | Do not generalize this guarantee to every transition or every statistic. |
| Shepard’s identity | The imported career identifies the same Commander Shepard and associated history. | Appearance handling is separate from save import. |
| Appearance | Legendary Edition allows a character-creator code to be reused across all three games, or appearance to be changed at the start of each title. | The code feature does not prove that every appearance setting transfers automatically with a career. |
| Inventory, credits and equipment | Do not promise automatic preservation. | Each game maintains its own saves and progression systems; the official ME3 wording guarantees level and story-impacting decisions, not a complete inventory clone. |
| Skills and numerical statistics | Treat them as game-specific unless the receiving title explicitly confirms otherwise. | Similar menus or class names do not establish that every allocation is copied. |
Which decisions can affect later missions?
Examples include outcomes that determine whether a character returns, who is available for a later assignment, which alliances are possible, how a relationship is remembered, and what conditions surround major missions. The effect can be a changed conversation, a different squad or mission state, an altered survival outcome, or a different end-state for the trilogy. Because the games evaluate many individual flags, two players can import the same level Shepard and still receive substantially different scenes.
Romance decisions can matter as part of that remembered history, but an import is not a recording of every line you heard. The sequel checks the relationship flags it needs and then presents its own version of the continuation. Likewise, a character’s presence may alter a mission without changing every surrounding encounter.
There is no authoritative percentage describing how many choices carry forward. Treat claims that a specific fraction of decisions transfers as speculation unless tied to a named, verifiable source. The useful question is not “What percentage transfers?” but “Which earlier flags does this sequel check for this mission or relationship?”
Is Legendary Edition a shared save system?
No. Legendary Edition packages the trilogy, but saves remain unique to each game. You still finish ME1, import that career into ME2, finish ME2, and import it into ME3. The collection’s unified launcher does not turn the three titles into one save database.
Legendary Edition does make a same-edition playthrough simpler: complete the Legendary Edition version of one game and use the following game’s built-in import option. Keeping the edition consistent avoids the original-versus-remaster format problem that affects some PC saves. It also keeps the visual and control settings available in the same collection, although those conveniences do not change the save rules.
Buying Legendary Edition is not a technical requirement for a transfer that already works in a compatible edition. It is simply the straightforward current package for a new trilogy run, and Electronic Arts’ 2021 description lists the trilogy and more than 40 pieces of single-player DLC in the collection. Choose a platform and edition first; do not purchase another copy on the assumption that a new purchase alone will convert an incompatible file.
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What about original PC ME2 and ME3 saves?
Compatibility is game-specific. Practical compatibility guidance reports a matching-game path for some original PC ME2 and ME3 saves into their Legendary Edition counterparts, but that does not establish universal compatibility across every game, platform, direction or installation. In particular, it should not be read as proof that an original ME1 PC file can be dropped into Legendary Edition ME2.
Before moving an older PC career, identify the exact source game, receiving game and edition. Keep the untouched original folder, make a separate backup, and test the import through the receiving game’s own menu. If the career does not appear, stop rather than repeatedly renaming files; a format limitation cannot be repaired by folder labels.
Can I transfer Mass Effect 3 choices to Mass Effect: Andromeda?
No. Andromeda is outside the original Shepard trilogy’s save chain, so an ME3 career cannot be imported into it as a playable world state. The games are connected by setting and franchise history, not by a supported ME3-to-Andromeda character transfer.
That means there is no trilogy-style command that recreates your Shepard, level, romances, squad outcomes or war-state decisions inside Andromeda. Start Andromeda as its own campaign and treat any references to the wider setting as narrative context rather than a save conversion.
What if my earlier Mass Effect save is missing?
Legendary Edition includes the Mass Effect: Genesis comics before Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. They present major prior decisions and let you choose a backstory when you begin without an earlier career. This is useful if you changed platforms, lost a hard drive, finished the older game years ago, or simply want to begin the sequel without replaying the previous title.
Genesis is a fallback choice-setting tool, not an exact reconstruction of a lost save. It cannot reproduce every completed side mission, relationship stage, inventory value, level detail or minor world-state flag from the original campaign. Use it when the original career is unavailable, and describe the result as a recreated backstory rather than a restored save.
For the highest continuity fidelity, replay the earlier game and finish it in the same compatible edition. Genesis is faster and convenient, while a completed-career import preserves more of the accumulated state. A fresh career is the deliberate option when you want to make all earlier decisions again from a clean slate.
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How should I move saves on a Legendary Edition PC installation?
In-game import is preferable. Manual file work is a troubleshooting measure for a compatible PC career, not a way to make incompatible formats readable.
- Finish the earlier title and create a normal end-of-career save.
- Exit the game through its normal menu so the save is fully written.
- Back up the entire relevant
Savedirectory before copying, replacing or renaming anything. Keep one untouched copy somewhere separate from the game folder. - On a typical Windows installation, look under
DocumentsBioWareMass Effect Legendary EditionSave. - Use the matching subfolder:
ME1,ME2orME3. Keep the character folder nested inside the correct game’s directory rather than placing it directly in the parent folder. - Launch the receiving game and use its import screen. Do not expect the game to detect a career merely because a file exists somewhere under Documents.
- Confirm that the intended character appears and loads. Keep the backup until you have verified the result in the opening setup and at least the first relevant conversations.
Folder names and locations can differ with Windows profiles, installation methods, cloud-sync settings or redirected Documents folders. This is practical PC guidance, not a guarantee for every configuration. Console versions generally require the game’s own import interface rather than copying directories. If cloud synchronization offers to replace local files, preserve the local backup first and resolve the conflict deliberately; accepting the wrong version can overwrite the career you meant to import.
What should I do if the import list is empty?
- Confirm that the earlier game was actually completed and that you are looking for a completed career, not an autosave or mid-mission checkpoint.
- Check that both games are the same compatible edition and that you are importing in the correct direction: ME1 into ME2 or ME2 into ME3.
- On PC, verify the matching
ME1,ME2orME3directory and the nested character folder; restore from your backup if a file operation went wrong. - Close and reopen the receiving game after correcting the location.
- Check whether a different Windows profile, redirected Documents folder or cloud service is being used by the game.
- Do not try to repair a format mismatch by changing extensions or folder names. If the career still cannot be read, Genesis is the supported way to recreate major choices.
Which continuation method gives the most faithful result?
| Method | Continuity fidelity | Best use | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed-career import | Highest | Normal ME1→ME2→ME3 playthrough in compatible editions. | Requires the original completed career and compatible save format. |
| Genesis comics | Partial | Starting a sequel when the earlier save is missing. | Recreates major choices, not every mission and progression detail. |
| Manual PC copying | Depends on compatibility | Moving a readable career into the correct Legendary Edition folder. | Incorrect folders, cloud paths or formats can make the game ignore the files. |
| Fresh career | None from the earlier game | Beginning with a clean world state or deliberately making different choices. | Earlier campaign decisions are not used. |
The trade-off is straightforward: a completed import takes the most preparation but preserves the most continuity; Genesis is the practical fallback; manual copying is only a file-management aid; and a fresh career is the simplest option when you intentionally want a different timeline.
Do I need to buy a new copy to transfer a save?
No. A purchase does not itself perform a transfer, and buying another edition does not guarantee that an incompatible career will become readable. Use the import option supported by the game and edition you already own. If you are choosing a package for a new run, Legendary Edition is the trilogy collection and includes more than 40 pieces of single-player DLC according to Electronic Arts, but that is a content decision rather than a save-conversion requirement.
What is the safest order for a complete trilogy run?
Play the games in release-story order: Legendary Edition ME1, then ME2, then ME3. At each hand-off, finish the campaign, close normally, back up the completed career, and use the next title’s import option. Keep the backup until the imported Shepard is visible and the opening setup looks correct.
- Choose one compatible edition and platform path before beginning.
- Use a distinct Shepard name or class for each experimental run.
- After each finale, create and preserve a completed career save.
- Import through the receiving game’s menu instead of assuming a copied file will be found.
- Verify the character and story setup before deleting duplicates or old backups.
This approach preserves the maximum supported continuity without pretending that the trilogy shares one universal save. It also gives you a recovery point if a profile is overwritten, a cloud-sync conflict occurs, or the wrong Shepard is selected. If a file is missing, choose Genesis knowingly as a major-choice reconstruction, not as an exact replacement for the original career.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import a Mass Effect save from PlayStation to PC?
The import feature is designed around a readable career in the receiving game’s supported save format, not a general cross-platform conversion service. Console and PC storage formats differ, so do not assume that downloading or copying a console save will make it selectable on PC.
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Does importing a character keep my romance?
Romance-related story flags are among the kinds of decisions a sequel may check, so an imported career can alter dialogue and relationship references. The exact scenes depend on the relationship path and the sequel’s implementation; import does not guarantee that every prior interaction is reproduced verbatim.
Will New Game Plus transfer to the next Mass Effect?
The documented hand-off is based on a completed career and its story state, not on a promise that New Game Plus equipment or every upgraded statistic will carry forward. Use the import screen and treat level retention on ME2-to-ME3 as the specific published guarantee.
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Can I keep several different Shepards for separate trilogy runs?
Yes. Preserve each completed career in its own character folder or backup, then select the intended profile on the receiving game’s import screen. Label backups clearly by name, class and completion date to avoid importing the wrong run.
Will my weapons, armor and credits transfer?
Do not count on a complete inventory or currency transfer. The clearest published guarantee for ME2-to-ME3 covers Shepard’s level and story-impacting decisions. Equipment and economic systems are handled by each game’s own progression rules.
Can I import an ME1 save directly into ME3?
No. The normal chain is sequential: ME1 into ME2, then the completed ME2 career into ME3. ME3’s documented import command is for an ME2 character, not a direct ME1 career.
What happens if I choose a fresh career by mistake?
The fresh career will not use the selected earlier campaign’s world state. Return to the main menu and start a new ME3 or ME2 game through the appropriate import-character option, provided the completed source career is still available.
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No. Genesis lets you select major backstory choices when the earlier career is missing, but it does not restore every side mission, relationship stage, inventory value, level detail or minor flag from the original playthrough.
The Bottom Line
The dependable rule is simple: finish each game, keep its completed career, and use the next game’s import option. Stay within a compatible edition where possible, treat PC folder copying as troubleshooting rather than conversion, and use Genesis only when the original career is unavailable. Story-impacting decisions—and Shepard’s level on the documented ME2-to-ME3 path—are what the hand-off is designed to preserve, not every item or statistic.
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